RADIO
Nathan Harvey's 2026 NFL Draft bold predictions. His top calls for the early rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, featuring Jeremiyah Love, Kenyon Sadiq, and more.
Draft day is upon us as 32 teams look to welcome the next group of NFL stars. Just last season, we saw the Seattle Seahawks steal the show, selecting guard Grey Zabel, Nick Emmanwori, and many others who contributed to their dominant Super Bowl run.
While every NFL Draft has its own stories and wild moments, this one is different. Whether it’s the Big Ten expected to dominate the first round or the SEC being a non-factor in the top 10, the 2026 NFL Draft is set to shake up the sports world.
With craziness expected, here are eight bold predictions for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
Four Buckeyes Get Drafted in the First Eight Picks
There have never been four players from the same college team picked in the top 10 of the NFL Draft. That changes in 2026.
Despite not winning a national championship in the 2025 season, the Ohio State Buckeyes were elite, especially on defense. Players like Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs helped propel the Buckeyes defense to the top of the country in points and yards allowed per game.
These Ohio State defensive players are extremely talented and skilled in their own right. But it's been interesting to hear coaches talk about the impact they see from Matt Patricia when they watch the film.
"Patricia gets you ready to play in the pros," a DC told me. "You can…
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) April 17, 2026
On offense, wide receiver Carnell Tate was a difference-maker in the passing game, averaging just under 80 yards per game and scoring nine touchdowns in just 11 outings, despite splitting targets with sophomore phenom Jeremiah Smith.
All four of Tate, Reese, Styles, and Downs are expected to go early in the first round, but how early is the question.
With teams like the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and New Orleans Saints potentially taking a wide receiver with their first pick, and the New York Jets, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, and Washington Commanders looking at the defensive side of the ball, the stage is set for a record to be broken when Roger Goodell announces the picks.
No SEC Player Will be Drafted in the Top 10
In 2006, the first 10 picks in the NFL Draft did not include a player from the SEC (despite including two Texas players). Two decades later, that stat could be repeated, even after the addition of multiple teams to the conference.
The SEC had a successful year with five teams in the 2025 College Football Playoff and seven teams ranked inside the top 15. Yet the top-10 picks in the NFL Draft could shake out very differently than usual.
While the nation's best conference may lack the same star power it had in recent drafts, the reason it could go without a name heard from its conference is the elite prospects from the other schools across the nation.
Expect the four Ohio State prospects, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, running back Jeremiyah Love, wide receivers Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon, tackle Francis Mauigoa, and pass-rushers David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. to hear their names called early on draft night.
While players such as LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, and Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy are among the names that could crack the top 10, there is a chance that the 20-year streak of an SEC player in the top 10 is broken on draft day.
Three Wide Receivers Get Drafted Inside the Top 10
The wide receiver position is going to be one to watch, especially in the early portion of the draft. With several teams drafting inside the top 10 needing a receiver and three talented options expected to go in that range, it may be a heavy pass-catching top 10.
We’ve talked about Tate, who will likely be a top-6 pick, but Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon are trending upward heading into Thursday night.
At 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, Tyson is a prototypical outside receiver who would’ve been in the top-5 discussion if not for injury concerns. Despite his injury history, his talent and production at Arizona State make him a player to watch early in the draft.
Giants GM Joe Schoen was in Arizona Thursday night and dined with Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson at the restaurant UCHI.
5th overall may have been a little rich.
But 10th? 🤔
Draft is five days away. Let's go. https://t.co/DBIDYlk5JW
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 19, 2026
Despite a smaller frame and a lack of explosive speed, Lemon is an all-around receiver with intangibles similar to those of Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That kind of weapon could do wonders for some of the young quarterbacks like Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough, who are amongst teams drafting inside the top 10.
Every team from the fourth pick to the 10th pick is in the market for a wide receiver, so the possibility of three receivers in the top 10 is on the table.
Cowboys Trade Up for Jeremiyah Love
The star running back from Notre Dame is a game-changer who fits the mold of every top back who has gone early in recent years. At 6 feet, 214 lbs, Love ran a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2025.
The all-around back from the Fighting Irish has been compared to Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, former Raiders running back Darren McFadden, and former Dallas Cowboys star running back DeMarco Murray.
There’s a ton of buzz around Love going as a top-5 pick, but in the shadows, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are looking to trade up. While prospects like Styles and Downs are options, Love is the kind of player the Cowboys have historically loved to draft.
There’s a belief among teams at the top of the draft that the #Cowboys, who have picks at #12 and #20, are a team to watch in trade-up scenarios, according to multiple league sources.
Several teams have said they believe Dallas is targeting a player the #Giants also covet, and… pic.twitter.com/9C32GqBSkS
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 14, 2026
The Cowboys' history with elite running backs is lengthy. Backs like Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, Murray, and Ezekiel Elliott headline a list of perennial stars at that position. Love would be the next star runner in Dallas.
Yes, they desperately need help on the defensive side of the ball, but if Love is the highest-ranked player on their draft board, they will have no hesitation making a splash. A backfield of Love and Javonte Williams, with their receiving corps, would be almost unstoppable, so keep an eye on the Cowboys on draft night.
Fernando Mendoza Will be the Only QB Selected in the First Two Rounds
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza may be one of the most obvious first overall picks we’ve seen in decades. He led the Indiana Hoosiers to their first national championship in program history and won the Heisman Trophy along the way.
With the Las Vegas Raiders picking first in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mendoza will likely be wearing the Silver and Black to begin his NFL career.
Behind Mendoza, the quarterback market falls off. Quarterbacks like Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, Taylen Green, and Carson Beck are intriguing names to watch in the later rounds of the draft. However, the only quarterback who should sniff the first two rounds is Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Simpson started 15 games in 2025, completing 305 of 473 passes (64.5%) for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He led the Crimson Tide to an 11-4 record and made it to the second round of the College Football Playoff, where they were humiliated by Mendoza and the Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl.
Maybe a team like the New York Jets, which has multiple picks in the second round, or the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers could take a flier on Simpson, but with a loaded draft class coming in 2027, those teams could wait for bigger names with higher upside in that class instead of spending high draft capital on the Crimson Tide quarterback.
Sonny Styles Goes Inside the Top Five
After an elite combine performance, the Ohio State linebacker is one of the biggest risers in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. At 6-foot-5, 244 pounds, Styles recorded 182 tackles, seven sacks, and 17 tackles for loss in his last two seasons at Ohio State.
Probably best to stay out of @sonnystyles_ way 😳
2026 NFL Draft – April 23-25 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ApQEvA5p01— NFL (@NFL) March 29, 2026
Styles stole the show at this season’s combine, running a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash and posting historic marks in the vertical jump (43.5 inches) and the broad jump (11 feet 2 inches). His Relative Athletic Score was a 10.00, making him the most athletic linebacker ever measured out of over 3,215 prospects.
The Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants both ranked near the bottom in nearly every defensive statistic in 2025, and the Tennessee Titans struggled all season to stop the run. All three teams hired new head coaches and didn’t make major splashes at the linebacker position during free agency.
Styles is an athletic freak who can play sideline-to-sideline and seems to be climbing in draft value by the minute. With teams needing help on the defensive side of the ball scattered throughout the top five, look for the 21-year-old to hear his name called early on draft day.
Rueben Bain Jr. Slips to the Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Hurricanes edge-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. entered the draft process as one of the top prospects in this year’s class, but concerns about arm length and issues off the field have raised questions about his draft status.
In 2025, Bain recorded 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 16 games, earned All-American honors, and helped the Hurricanes reach their first national championship appearance since 2001. The 21-year-old was a projected top-5 pick, but there are concerns.
Bain’s arm length of under 31 inches places him in the seventh percentile among edge-rushers, and some teams worry he won’t make a huge impact at the next level. Now, with off-the-field issues complicating things even further, teams could play it safe and pass on the talented prospect.
Miami DE Reuben Bain was cited for careless driving following a March 2024 crash that left a passenger in a coma and later resulted in the 22-year-old’s death three months after the incident, as reported by @OllieConnolly.
The careless driving charge was dismissed by a court… pic.twitter.com/pCU13eeJPx
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 12, 2026
With defensive studs like Arvell Reese, David Bailey, and Sonny Styles likely to be top-10 picks, the door is open for Bain to slide right into Kansas City’s lap at the ninth pick. With George Karlaftis on one side, Bain would be a perfect fit for the Chiefs as they look to bounce back from a disastrous 2025 season.
The Miami Hurricanes star will be one of the major draft day stories, but with the Chiefs drafting in the top 10 for the first time since 2017, look for them to make a splashy, high-upside selection similar to the one the Philadelphia Eagles made in 2023, when they selected Jalen Carter with the ninth overall pick.
Carolina Panthers Trade Up for TE Kenyon Sadiq
The Carolina Panthers selected wide receivers Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan with their first picks in the last two drafts and will likely have to move up in the draft to select a pass-catcher in 2026.
Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq totaled 566 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games this past season. Sadiq is an absurd athlete, running a 4.39 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3, 241 lbs, and he showcased it at the combine.
Kenyon Sadiq had one of the best days ever by a TE at the Combine:
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 (best ever by a TE)
Vertical Jump: 43.5’’ (second-best ever by a TE)
Broad Jump: 11’1’’ (third-best ever by a TE)@Accenture | @oregonfootball pic.twitter.com/fxvABmsGrd— NFL (@NFL) February 28, 2026
The 21-year-old will have a ton of suitors on draft day, including teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, the Panthers will be the team to draft Sadiq. They have struggled to build around quarterback Bryce Young this offseason, adding only John Metchie III to their receiving corps. An addition like Sadiq could open this offense up and make life easier for Young, McMillan, and the run game as well.
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
